The co-founder of Apple has died at the age of 56. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer for some time.
Apple replaced its usually product focused home page with a large picture of Jobs and a brief message. That message said: “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentors. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”
Luminaries lined up to sing his praises, including US president Barack Obama, Bill Gates and others.
He resigned in August as CEO of Apple, and he is replaced at the helm by new CEO Tim Cook.
Jobs became largely identified with products such as the iPad, the iPad and the iPhone in his latter years. He co-founded Apple in the 1970s and with the rise of the personal computer managed to carve out a niche with the Apple I and the Apple II.
There would be no Apple without Steve, and despite the fun we may have made of it's fanbois and the creative use of existing technology, his vision did make our lives more interesting and pushed the rest of the industry to catch up, and create economies of scale for what have been niche products, that benefited everyone.
He really didn't let go until he had to; rest in peace.
Jobs wasn't a great engineer, but he didn't have to be - he was a terrific CEO and he also understood how to produce quality product. He spent years perfecting the iPad, telling the engineers time and time again to go back and get it right. It's one of the reasons why no other tablet has been successful. Where Apple goes from here is anyone's guess.
Apple is one of the few companies that has been thriving. No, they don't actually produce what they sell (that would be in China), but they do DESIGN it all themselves, and it illustrates what we in the West will need to do better.
His legacy has us asking some pointed questions: Do we really want the kind of jobs that involve putting chip 'a' into socket 'b', or would we rather have jobs where we are the innovators, the engine that drives the designs that everyone else around the world licenses and builds?
Because no matter what happens now, China is not going away. We will not work for the kind of wages their sons and daughters are willing to. And eventually, quite soon perhaps, robots will take THEIR jobs when they start bitching about not being able to buy the iPods they actually produce. There are signs this is already starting to take place. Foxconn (Apple's biggest manufacturer), has started building an automated plant in northern China that is pointing the way of the future - a future without humans in manufacturing.
It's going to be a rough ride. Get your kids educated and get ready for the future.